


Clinging to the Past

by MerryDreaming



Series: Under the Myriad, a Place is Earned (Fire Emblem Heroes) [6]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Drabble, Gen, anyway this is kind of silly and clothing based, basically something set in the past while i try to recover from writer's block, i need to settle a timeline one of these days, set probably four months into the game?, something like that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 23:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerryDreaming/pseuds/MerryDreaming
Summary: Alfonse is many things to the Order of Heroes. The ever distant prince, their tie-breaker in decisions, their fearless second-in-command...And their summoner's handler, in some ways.





	Clinging to the Past

Taking care of matters in the World of Awakening was enough to get Veronica to retreat for the moment. Alfonse knew the very second they fought her again, it'd likely be in her territory. There would be many things to consider, about whether they would be able to find Zacharias again, or what would become of them all in this war. As it stood, however, they had to go back to the castle to regroup and rest. Their next move would be decided by tomorrow, he was certain; they could have a chance at ending this war at last, if they played their cards right. The heroes of many worlds would finally be able to rest easily.

"Aileen, you can get down from the wall now. We have everything taken care of."

Alfonse calls to the summoner, who sits atop one of the walls that lined the area. She was an unusual sort, really, but one he had become close to none the less. There were reasons for such things, of course, but he watches her perk up for a moment before attempting to jump down from the wall.

...Of course, therein lies the problem, and it's one that sees Alfonse's hand go to his face in response.

One of the things that eternally frustrated the Commander was how unkempt Aileen has the tendency to keep herself. Her hair was a mess that went down to her knees, and he's pretty sure the sole reason that she didn't just take garden shears to the woman's mop was because she didn't expect the results to be favorable. In...many regards, really, but mostly in the sense of self preservation. But the main thing that got her ire, and seemed to be Aileen's undoing as of now, was that old, worn out dress she wore under her summoning coat. It may have been a once pristine, almost pretty white dress, but it was marked with the dirt and grime that implied that it had seen it's fair share of adventures.

As it stood, the woman was able to angle herself so that she fell flat on her face, rather than her back, and suddenly he's thankful that Anna and Sharena had decided to go on ahead. He walks over to assess the damage and gives a long suffering sigh when he sees the dress with yet another tear through it. That old, filthy thing was like a child's blanket to her, he swore...

"This is why the Commander wants you to change, you know."

"No." Aileen lifted herself up when he said that, and gave him a very annoyed look. She wasn't the most eloquent sort, and he knew that well enough by now. It doesn't get much of a response from Alfonse, except an offered hand.

"Aileen, come on now...there's only so many excuses I can make for you." It was slightly pleading, if mostly because it was the truth. "I can't even understand why you're so attached to it, anyway. Did someone give it to you?"

"...Answer's...bad. Very bad." Aileen seemed to look away when she said that, and he could tell that he was likely not going to like whatever answer she gave him. Damn woman, she probably stole it, didn't she? It'd be perfectly in line with her, he thinks, but...

"Then...let's us get you something new. Will you allow that much?"

"...What's the catch?"

He should have expected this much. She'd always been like this, ever since they took her in; she wouldn't take something unless there was something they wanted in exchange for it. It was her way of life, and he supposes he shouldn't be surprised. "If I tell you to do some extra chores, will you allow it? Please..." He watches her annoyed look seem to neutralize, and for the gears to seem to audibly turn in her head. He knew she couldn't trust him at his word, and that she needed the assurance of pulling an equal weight in order to consider any sort of kindness. But maybe, just this once...

He sees her look away, tearing a bit of the bottom of that dress up to patch up a scrape on one of her legs. It gets a nod of the head; one of the few things Alfonse can trust means that she'll go along with it. It gets a smile from the Prince, and once she's done her shoddy job of patching herself, he helps her up to the ground.

"Then I expect you at the gates, first thing tomorrow. I've little experience with such matters, but I'm sure the Commander will forgive us going on a shopping trip if it makes you look mildly presentable."

"Going with...?" Aileen's expression seems to quirk at that, and he's quick to assess her expression to get a proper read on it. It's...actually almost amused? He's never seen the woman smile once in the time he's known her, but her lips are almost quirked in a way that implies she finds that funny rather than offensive. It earns a bit of laughter.

"You're liable to pick another dress, and I refuse to go back to square one. I'm simply going there to be your common sense."

**Author's Note:**

> https://toyhou.se/2070213.aileen
> 
> fun fact for y'all; i originally just did the dress as a placeholder outfit so i could have some commissioned art to fall back on if i wanted to get any art of her in the future. i decided to make it an actual part of the story instead
> 
> this is also, for the record, for this week's reddit prompt: "The Order's Wardrobe! Any Heroes have a ridiculous wardrobe that causes problems?"
> 
> so, yep


End file.
